Security storage container

ABSTRACT

A storage container includes a lid having a lid panel and an arm extending from the lid panel, the arm including a detent having a first surface parallel to the lid panel and a second surface having a taper extending at least a portion between the first surface and a distal end of the arm, and a base configured to receive a disc, the base having a base panel and a member extending from the base panel, the member having an opening defined by an interior surface having a portion thereof parallel to the base panel, the first surface of the detent engaging the interior surface portion of the member when the storage container is closed. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) toprovisional application, No. 60/346,122, filed Oct. 19, 2001, thecontents of which is expressly incorporated herein by referenced asthough fully set forth in full.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present invention relates generally to storage containers, and moreparticularly, to storage containers for recorded media.

2. Background

In recent years, optical discs have emerged as one of the most popularmediums for storing audio, video and computer information. Toaccommodate the wholesale and retail distribution of the disc, numerousstorage containers have been developed. These storage containerstypically include a base supporting a central hub to engage an aperturein the center of the disc. The base is generally hinged to a lid so asto open and close the storage container like a book. This design is wellsuited for use by the consumer, but may pose certain security risks inthe retail environment. In the recent years, retailers have reportednumerous incidents of theft involving the unauthorized removal of discsfrom the their storage containers. Labels and shrink wrap have beenproposed in the past as a way to deal with this problem. However, theseproposals have had limited success because of the ease at which labelsand shrink wrap can be opened with a sharp item. Accordingly, there is aneed for a storage container which is designed to discourage theft inthe retail environment.

SUMMARY

In one aspect of the present invention, a storage container includes alid having a lid panel and an arm extending from the lid panel, the armincluding a detent having a first surface parallel to the lid panel anda second surface having a taper extending at least a portion between thefirst surface and a distal end of the arm, and a base configured toreceive a disc, the base having a base panel and a member extending fromthe base panel, the member having an opening defined by an interiorsurface having a portion thereof parallel to the base panel, the firstsurface of the detent engaging the interior surface portion of themember when the storage container is closed.

In another aspect of the present invention, a storage container includesa lid, a base configured to receive a disc, and means for latching thelid to the base to close the storage container.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, a storage containerincludes a lid, a base having an annular wall configured to support anouter periphery of a disc, means for latching the lid to the base toclose the storage container, means for clamping the outer periphery ofthe disc to the annular wall when the storage container is closed, andmeans, coupled to the lid, for preventing the disc from sliding out ofthe storage container.

It is understood that other aspects of the present invention will becomereadily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, wherein is shown and described only exemplary embodimentsof the invention, simply by way of illustration. As will be realized,the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and itsseveral details are capable of modifications in various respects, allwithout departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings anddescription are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not asrestrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present invention are illustrated by way of example, andnot by way of limitation, in the accompanying drawings in which likereference numerals refer to similar elements:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary storage container;

FIG. 1A is a blow up of a portion of the exemplary storage container ofFIG. 1 illustrating the detail of a tab;

FIG. 1B is a blow up of a portion of the exemplary storage container ofFIG. 1 illustrating the details of a catch;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of the exemplary storage container ofFIG. 1 taken along line 2 with a disc shown prior to engagement with ahub;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section view of the exemplary storage container ofFIG. 1 taken along line 2 with a disc shown in engagement with the hub;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an exemplary storage container in theclosed position;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of the exemplary storage container ofFIG. 4 taken along lines 5;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of an exemplary storagecontainer illustrating the details of a tab and catch latchingmechanism;

FIG. 7 is a cross-section view of the tab and catch latching mechanismof FIG. 6 taken along line 7 showing the tab just prior to engagementwith the catch;

FIG. 8 is a cross-section view of the tab and catch latching mechanismof FIG. 6 taken along line 7 showing the tab engaged with the catch;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a portion of an exemplary storagecontainer illustrating the details of a break away tab hinged to thestorage container; and

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the exemplary storagecontainer of FIG. 9 illustrating the insertion of the break away tabinto the exemplary storage container after the hinge connection isbroken.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appendeddrawings is intended as a description of exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention and is not intended to represent the only embodimentsin which the present invention can be practiced. The term “exemplary”used throughout this description means “serving as an example, instance,or illustration,” and should not necessarily be construed as preferredor advantageous over other embodiments. The detailed description setsforth the inventive concepts in terms of construction and function ofthe exemplary storage containers. It is to be understood, however, thatthe same, equivalent, and alternative constructions and functions may beaccomplished with other storage containers which are also intended to beencompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention.

As used herein, the term “optical disc” or “disc” means any compact disc(CD), compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), recordable compact disc(CD-R), rewriteable compact disc (CD-RW), digital video disc or digitalversatile disc (DVD), recordable digital video disc or recordabledigital versatile disc (DVD-R), digital video disc random access memoryor digital versatile disc random access (DVD-RAM), as well as othersimilar media which is used for storing information.

A perspective view of an exemplary storage container is shown in FIG. 1.The exemplary storage container includes several security features thatare particularly useful for these types of containers in the retailenvironment. However, as those skilled in the art will appreciate, thesesecurity features are equally applicable to any type of storagecontainer regardless of the contents. In the described exemplaryembodiment, the storage container comprises a housing 12 including a lid14 and a base 16. The lid 14 may include a pair of clips 15 to holdpamphlets, brochures, booklets, or other printed media. The lid 14 canbe attached to the base 16 in a variety of ways. By way of example, ahinge panel 18 can be attached to the lid 14 with a first living hinge20 and attached to the base 16 with a second living hinge 22. Variousother means for attaching the lid 14 to the base 16 will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art.

The base 16 includes a base panel 24 with a peripheral base wall 26extending along the three sides of the base panel not attached to theliving hinge 22. The base panel 24 includes an annular wall 28 tosupport the disc away from the base panel 24. The annular wall 28 can bedesigned with a seat 30 that supports the unrecorded outer edge of thedisc. The annular wall 28 may further be equipped with any number offinger holes to facilitate the removal of the disc from the storagecontainer. In the described exemplary embodiment, there are four fingerholes 32 equally spaced from one another along the circumference of theannular wall 28. However, as those skilled in the art will readilyappreciate, any number of finger holes can be used depending on theparticular design requirements and manufacturing specifications. Thefinger hole design can take on various forms. By way of example, convexor semi-circular recesses in the annular wall 28 can be used to provideeasy access to the periphery of the disc during the removal process.

A retaining member 34 extending upward from base panel 24 can be used toengage the central aperture of the disc. The retaining member 34 can bedesigned in any fashion that sufficiently retains the disc in thestorage container. One such design includes an annular ring 36 whichsupports the unrecorded inner edge of the disc adjacent the centralaperture. The annular ring 36 and the annular wall 28 cooperate tomaintain the disc in the storage container away from the base panel 24.Cantilevered from the annular ring 36 are six inwardly extending radialarms 38 which collectively form a hub. As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3,the hub includes an upper surface 40 with an outwardly extending lip 42which overlies the unrecorded inner edge of the disc when retained bythe hub.

To engage the disc with the retaining member 34, the disc is placedinside the storage container with its outer edge over the seat 30 of theannular wall 28 and its center aperture over the upper surface 40 of thehub (see FIG. 1). The placement of the disc over the hub prior toengagement is shown in FIG. 2. The disc 44 can be manually pressed bythe user toward the base panel 24 until the inner edge of the disc 44defining the center aperture slides over the lip 40 and into engagementwith the hub as shown in FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 3, the disc 44 can beremoved from the retaining member 34 by applying a downward force to theupper surface 40 of the hub to force the lip 40 downward through thecenter aperture of the disc to free the disc from the retaining member34. An attractive feature of the retaining member design is that theannular ring 36 prevents the downward movement of the inner edge of thedisc 44 despite any downward movement of the hub. This approach preventsthe disc 44 from being damaged due to undesirable flexing of the disc 44during removal.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the lid 14 includes a lid panel 46 with aperipheral lid wall 48 extending along the three sides of the lid panel46 not attached to the living hinge 20. A lip 50 can be formed at adistal end of an interior portion of the peripheral lid wall 48 on eachside of the storage container. A rail 52 can be positioned on each sideof the storage container along the base panel 24 each which cooperateswith the peripheral base wall 26 to form a nesting slot for a respectiveone of the lips 50. In at least one embodiment of the storage container,the lips 50 can be configured with a concave design that extends closeto or all the way to the base panel 24 when the storage container is inthe closed position. This arrangement may prevent the disc from slidingout of the storage container should the disc become dislodged. Theconcave design of the lips 50 may also make it more difficult for one toremove the disc from the storage container through a gap between theperipheral base and lid walls when the storage container is in theclosed position. These attendant benefits may be achieved with other lipdesigns without departing from the inventive concepts described herein.By way of example, the lips 50 can be rectangular, triangular, or anyother design which covers at least a portion of the gap formed betweenthe peripheral base and lid walls when the storage container is in theclosed position.

The storage container may be equipped with additional features thatmaintain the disc in engagement with the hub during transportation andhandling of the closed storage container. The lid 14 may include tabs 54which engage the outer edge of the disc when the storage container is inthe closed position. Each tab can be supported by the lid panel 46 andincludes a surface which extends inwards toward the center of the lid 14and away from the peripheral lid wall 48. Alternatively, each tab can beconfigured as a flat member extending directly from the front portion ofthe peripheral lid wall 48 inward toward the center of the lid 14.

The tabs 54 can be designed to work alone, or alternatively, incombination with other structures to maintain the disc in engagementwith the hub when the storage container is in the closed position. Byway of example, the hinge panel 18 can be configured with a reinforcingrib 56 that not only increases the structural strength of the hingepanel 18, but can be used to further maintain the disc in engagementwith the hub when the storage container is in the closed position. Thiscan be accomplished with a variety of rib designs depending on theaesthetic criteria for the storage container. By way of example, thereinforcing rib 56 can extend inwardly from the hinge panel 18 asufficient length such that, when the storage container is in the closedposition, the reinforcing rib 56 extends over the annular wall 28 andengages the unrecorded upper surface of the disc. The reinforcing rib 56can be designed with a semi-circular recess or convex configuration foralignment with the seat 30 of the annular wall 28 to avoid placing unduestress on portions of the disc unsupported by the seat 30.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an exemplary storage container in theclosed position. FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of the exemplary storagecontainer of FIG. 4 taken along line 5. The manner in which thereinforcing rib 56 cooperates with the tabs 54 of the lid 14 toeffectively clamp the outer edge of the disc to the seat 30 of theannular wall 28 is shown in FIG. 5. In at least one embodiment of thestorage container, the tab 54 can be formed with a 58 at its distal end.As shown in FIG. 5, with the storage container in the closed position,the tab 54 extends over the annular wall 28 of the base panel 24 suchthat the ridge 58 engages the unrecorded upper surface of the disc tosecurely lodge the disc between the ridge 58 and the seat 30 of theannular wall 28. In a similar manner to the reinforcing rib 56, theridge 58 can be formed with an arc shape that is aligned with the seat30 of the annular wall 28 when the storage container is in the closedposition to avoid flexing the disc by placing a downward force on aportion of the disc unsupported by the seat 30. The ridge designminimizes surface contact between the tabs and the disc. In addition,the ridge design may provide for a tighter grip on the disc since thetabs have to be located sufficiently above the disc when the storagecontainer is in the closed position to clear the annular wall 28.Alternatively, the tabs can be used to directly to secure the disc tothe seat 30 of the annular wall 28.

The storage container may also be equipped with a latching mechanism todiscourage the unauthorized removal of the disc from the storagecontainer during retail distribution. The latching mechanism may take onvarious forms depending on the overall design constraints and securityobjectives. By way of example, the latching mechanism can be designed ina manner that requires a significant amount of force to open the storagecontainer. Numerous techniques may be employed to implement this type oflatching mechanism. These techniques can range from a single latch toany number of latches working together to achieve a storage containerwhich cannot be easily open without exerting considerable force.

An exemplary latching mechanism for a storage container is shown in FIG.1. The exemplary latching mechanism includes tabs 60 supported by thelid 14 in combination with catches 62 supported by the base 16. The tabs60 can be designed in various fashions depending on the designspecifications and other relevant factors. In the described exemplaryembodiment, the tabs 60 are fairly rigid members supported by the lidpanel 46. Increased rigidity may be achieved with a pair of reinforcingribs 61 on each of the tabs 60. As best seen by FIG. 1A, a detent 64 canbe located at the distal end of the tab 60. The detent 64 includes atapered surface 65 with an undercut wall 67. The catches 62 are alsofairly rigid members extending from the base panel 24 (see FIG. 1). Asbest seen in FIG. 1B, the catch 62 includes a catch member 64 with anaperture 66 formed therein for catching the detent 64 of the tab 60 whenthe storage container is being closed. A support member 68 extendingupward from the base panel between the aperture 66 and the peripheralbase wall 26 is used to maintain rigidity of the catch 62 when thestorage container is being opened and closed.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the tab and catch just prior toengagement as the exemplary storage container is being closed. FIG. 7 isa cross-section view of the exemplary storage container of FIG. 6 takenalong line 7. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, when the storage container isbeing closed by the user, the tapered upper surface of the detent 65comes into contact with the upper portion of the catch member 64. Sincethe tab 60 and the catch 62 are fairly rigid, the user must increase theforce applied to the base and lid to bring them together to cause eitherthe tab 60 to flex slightly backward and/or cause the catch member 64 toflex slightly forward against the support member 68 to allow the taperedupper surface of the detent 65 to slide past the exterior upper portionof the catch member 64 and snap into the aperture 66 with the undercutwall 67 facing the interior upper portion of the catch member 64 asshown in FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a cross-section view of the exemplary storagecontainer of FIG. 6 taken along line 7 with the exemplary storagecontainer in the closed position. Because of the undercut wall 67 of thedetent 60, the force to open the storage container is even greater thanthat required to close the storage container. To open the container, theuser applies a force to the base and lid to separate them from oneanother. In a manner similar to that described in connection with theclosing of the storage container, the applied force to the storagecontainer must be sufficient to cause either the tab 60 to flex slightlybackward and/or cause the catch member 64 to flex slightly forwardagainst the support member 68. However, in this case, since the undercutwall 67 of the detent 64 is not tapered, the force required to flex thetab 60 backward and/or the catch member 64 forward against the supportmember 68 to allow the detent 64 to clear the catch member 64 andrelease it from the aperture is much greater. This increased force toopen the storage container may discourage the unauthorized opening ofthe storage container in the retail environment.

The amount of force required to open and close the storage container canbe varied by altering the design the reinforcing ribs on the tab or thesupport member for the catch. The tabs may be designed with a supportmember similar to that used for catches, either alone or in combinationwith the reinforcing ribs, to set the amount of force required to openand close the storage container. The rigidity of the material used forthe tabs and catches can also be varied. One skilled in the art willreadily be able to determine the material needed for the tabs andcatches, and the designs of the supporting structures, if any, to meetthe specific design requirements of any particular application.

Returning to FIG. 4, the exemplary storage container can be configuredwith a pair of removable tabs 72 a and 72 b. During retail distributionof the storage container, the removable tabs are in the closed positionas shown by the removable tab 72 a. Once the storage container isremoved from the retail environment, it can be opened by first movingremovable tabs to the open position as shown by the removable tab 72 b.Once the removable tabs are moved to the open position, the storagecontainer can then be opened by separating the base 16 from the lid 14.As best shown in FIG. 9, the removable tab can be moved between the openand closed position via a break-away hinge 74 connecting the removabletab to the base 16. The removable tab 72 is generally square orrectangular shape with an arm 76 extending from an interior portion ofthe removable tab. The removable tab 72 may also include four prongs 78with two projecting from each side of the interior portion. When theremovable tab 72 is in the closed position, the arm 76 extends through acenter slot 80 formed in the peripheral lid wall 48 and the prongs 78straddle a horizontal bar 81 extending through the peripheral lid wall48. This configuration may provide heightened security in the retailenvironment by making it more difficult to open the storage containerwithout authorization.

Once the storage container is removed from the retail environment by theconsumer, the removable tab 72 can be opened and separated from the base16 by applying an upward or twisting force to the removable tab 72 tobreak the hinge connection. The removable tab 72 can then be physicallyrotated 180° with respect its original position and reinserted into thefront portion of the peripheral lid and base walls as shown in FIG. 10.In this position, the arm 76 extends through the aperture 66 in thecatch member 64 forcing the detent 64 of the tab 60 out of the aperture66 to allow the consumer to easily open the storage container by merelyapplying a force to separate the base 16 from the lid 14 sufficient toovercome the insertion force of any other commonly known latchesemployed by the storage container. Each prong 78 may be formed with adetent 84 having a tapered surface with an undercut. When the removabletab 72 is being inserted into the front portion of the peripheral lidand base walls, the tapered portion of the detents 84 rides againstinterior walls 86 of the peripheral base wall 24 hereby flexing theprongs 78 toward one another. Once the detents 84 clear the interiorwalls 86, the prongs 78 revert to their non-flexed state with theundercut of the detents 84 engaging the ends of the interior walls 86.This arrangement holds the removable tabs in place once the hinges havebeen broken away from the base 16.

Returning to FIG. 4, the peripheral base and lid walls 24 and 48 can beformed with slightly concave portions in the front portion. Thisarrangement provides an area where one can grasp the base and lid toopen the storage container. These concave portions may be particularlyuseful to a consumer opening a storage container that does not haveremovable tabs that disable the latching mechanism.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention has beendescribed, it should not be construed to limit the scope of the appendedclaims. Those skilled in the art will understand that variousmodifications may be made to the described embodiments. By way ofexample, any feature of the exemplary storage containers can be employedalone or in combination with one or more features. Moreover, to thoseskilled in the various arts, the inventive features described throughoutcan be employed with storage containers for other devices such as videocassettes and the like. It is therefore desired that the presentembodiments be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive, reference being made to the appended claims rather than theforegoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A storage container, comprising: a lid having alid panel and an arm extending from the lid panel, the arm including adetent having a first surface parallel to the lid panel and a secondsurface having a taper extending at least a portion between the firstsurface and a distal end of the arm; and a base configured to receive adisc, the base having a base panel and a member extending from the basepanel, the member having an opening defined by an interior surfacehaving a portion thereof parallel to the base panel, the first surfaceof the detent engaging the interior surface portion of the member whenthe storage container is closed, wherein the base further comprises abase wall along a portion of a periphery of the base panel, and the lidfurther comprises a lid wall along a portion of a periphery of the lidpanel, front portions of the base and lid wall respectively comprisingrecesses, the storage container further comprising a tab inserted in andextending between the recesses when the storage container is closed,wherein the tab is flush with the front portion of the base and lidwalls when the storage container is closed.
 2. A storage container,comprising: a lid; a base configured to receive a disc; means forlatching the lid to the base to close the storage container, wherein thebase further comprises a base panel and a base wall along a portion of aperiphery of the base panel, and the lid further comprises a lid paneland a lid wall along a portion of a periphery of the lid panel, frontportions of the base and lid wall respectively comprising recesses, thestorage container further comprising a tab inserted in and extendingbetween the recesses when the storage container is closed wherein thelatching means is configured such that a force required to disengage thelatching means to open the storage container is greater than a forcerequired to engage the latching means to close the storage container;and a break away hinge coupling the tab to the storage container.
 3. Thestorage container of claim 2 wherein the tab further comprises aplurality of projections, the projections engaging the support.
 4. Thestorage container of claim 3 wherein the tab is arranged in the recessesin a first position and a second position, the first position of the tabhaving a 180° angular displacement with respect to the second positionof the tab.
 5. A storage container, comprising: a lid comprising a lidpanel and a peripheral lid wall situated along a first portion of aperiphery of said lid panel, wherein said peripheral lid wall extendssubstantially perpendicular to said lid panel, and wherein saidperipheral lid wall includes a lid wall opening; a base comprising abase panel and a peripheral base wall situated along a first portion ofa periphery of said base panel, wherein said peripheral base wallextends substantially perpendicular to said base panel, and wherein saidperipheral base wall includes a base wall opening; a hinge panelcomprising a first end pivotally coupled to a second portion of said lidpanel and a second end pivotally coupled to a second portion of saidbase panel; and a tab to securely lock said lid to said base, whereinsaid tab comprises a first member extending into said lid wall openingof said peripheral lid wall, and a second member extending into saidbase wall opening of said peripheral base wall, wherein said tab ishinged to said storage container.
 6. The storage container of claim 5,wherein said tab is removable such that said first and second members ofsaid tab can be removed from said lid wall and base wall openings,respectively.
 7. The storage container of claim 5, wherein said tabhinge is breakable.
 8. The storage container of claim 5, wherein saidtab is hinged to said base.
 9. The storage container of claim 5, whereinsaid base further comprises a seat to support a data storage disc.
 10. Astorage container, comprising: a first closing member comprising a firstpanel and a first peripheral wall situated along a first portion of aperiphery of said first panel, wherein said first peripheral wallextends substantially perpendicular to said first panel, and whereinsaid first peripheral wall includes a first wall opening; a secondclosing member comprising a second panel and a second peripheral wallsituated along a first portion of a periphery of said second panel,wherein said second peripheral wall extends substantially perpendicularto said second panel; a hinge panel comprising a first end pivotallycoupled to a second portion of said first panel and a second endpivotally coupled to a second portion of said second panel; and a tab tosecurely lock said first closing member to said second closing member,wherein said tab comprises a first member extending into said first wallopening of said first peripheral wall, and a second member beingattached to said second closing member, wherein said second member ofsaid tab is hinged to said second closing member.
 11. The storagecontainer of claim 10, wherein said tab hinge is breakable.
 12. Thestorage container of claim 11, wherein said tab is removable such thatsaid first member can be removed from said first wall opening.
 13. Thestorage container of claim 10, wherein said first closing membercomprises a lid and said second closing member comprises a base.
 14. Thestorage container of claim 13, wherein said base further comprises aseat to support a data storage disc.
 15. The storage container of claim10, wherein said second peripheral wall includes a second wall opening,and wherein said tab comprises a third member that extends into saidsecond wall opening of said second peripheral wall.
 16. A storagecontainer, comprising: a first closing member comprising a first paneland a first peripheral wall situated along a first portion of aperiphery of said first panel, wherein said first peripheral wallextends substantially perpendicular to said first panel, and whereinsaid first closing member comprises a detent member extending along saidfirst peripheral wall; a second closing member comprising a second paneland a second peripheral wall situated along a first portion of aperiphery of said second panel, wherein said second peripheral wallextends substantially perpendicular to said second panel, and whereinsaid first peripheral wall includes an aperture having a catch memberconfigured to receive and lock with said detent member; a hinge panelcomprising a first end pivotally coupled to a second portion of saidfirst panel and a second end pivotally coupled to a second portion ofsaid second panel; and a tab to securely lock said first closing memberto said second closing member, wherein said tab comprises a first memberextending into said aperture of said first peripheral wall, and whereinsaid tab is hinged to said second closing member.
 17. The storagecontainer of claim 16, wherein said detent member is configured suchthat a force to unlock said detent member from said catch member isgreater than a force to lock said detent member to said catch member.18. The storage container of claim 16, wherein said tab hinge isbreakable.
 19. The storage container of claim 16, wherein said firstclosing member comprises a lid and said second closing member comprisesa base.
 20. The storage container of claim 19, wherein said base furthercomprises a seat to support a data storage disc.